A/N Ok everybody thanx for reviewing! And I forgot to say where the last
quote was from – it's "That Thing You Do." Great movie! Ok anyway next
chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter characters
* * *
"It says here that a werewolf won't attack an animal." Peter looked up at Remus. "Is that right?"
Remus shrugged. "Don't know. I've never been around an animal on full moon."
"Hmm," Sirius said, staring at the book in Peter's hands. "Maybe –"
"Hey! Look at this!" James exclaimed, earning a dirty look from the librarian. Lowering his voice, he continued, holding out the newspaper he was reading. "It seems that there's some mass murderer on the loose. Ten people have been killed in the last month, three of them just last week. What do you think of that?"
Sirius' annoyed look at being interrupted had disappeared, and he eagerly reached out for the newspaper. "'The Ministry is working overtime to find and capture this new threat of the wizarding world,'" he read aloud. "'The murder of a young family of three has made the situation even more alarming. If you have any report of a missing person or a strange death, you are encouraged to inform the Ministry immediately.'"
Peter's face was a pale gray. "Do – do you think they'll catch him?" he asked fearfully.
"Yeah, it's just a matter of time," Remus replied, trying to calm his friend. "Anyway, what were you saying, Sirius?"
"About what?" Sirius asked, still reading the newspaper article.
"Before the newspaper," Remus responded.
"Oh," Sirius said, his eyes still scanning the page. "Hey, it says here that this murderer might have a bunch of accomplices. Like a huge gang or something."
"Sirius!" James took the newspaper and folded it up. "It's not that interesting. What were you going to say?"
"Oh yeah!" Sirius sat up in his chair. "What if we became Animagi?"
Remus stared at him. Was he serious? A few eleven-year-olds become Anamagi? But James was grinning, a spark of adventure in his eye. "That's a great idea!"
"But aren't you supposed to be watched by the Ministry while you're learning?" Peter asked with wide eyes. Sirius waved that aside.
"We can figure it out! And the Ministry is so busy with that murderer, that they won't ever even think about looking for a few unregistered Anamagi!" he whispered, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that no one was listening. Remus started to get a little scared. It was one thing to break a few school rules, but this was a law!
But look at all they're doing for you, one part of his mind argued. Are you going to tell them what to do when they're trying to help you? No, he decided, he would let them do it. After all, it was their choice.
* * *
That night, as the four boys sat down for dinner, Professor Dumbledore stood. James looked longingly at the empty plates, but he knew that Dumbledore had something important to say.
"I have noticed," Dumbledore began, "that several of you have seen the article in the Daily Prophet."
It would be hard not to notice, Remus thought. The halls had been buzzing all day about the murders.
"I wish I could say that it was nothing," Dumbledore continued, "but I'm afraid that this is a very real threat indeed. I can promise you, however, that you will not be harmed here in Hogwarts. Also, the Minister wishes to assure you that they are doing all that they can to track down the killer and punish him. Until he is caught, we ask that those attending any activities outside of the school grounds, such as Hogsmeade, stay in groups until later notice." He sat down, and food appeared on the plates. Now, everyone in the Great Hall, including the staff, was whispering about Dumbledore's short speech.
"So what do you think will happen?" Peter wondered, trembling.
"Nothing," Sirius replied confidently through a mouthful of chicken. "They'll catch him before long."
Remus hoped that his friend was right. The thought of a murderer on the loose made him nervous, though he was careful not to show it. He didn't want anyone to think that he was a coward. Still, the food tasted like sawdust in his dry mouth.
* * *
At breakfast a few days later, Remus heard a shriek come from Ashley Anatar, a third-year Gryffindor. She was staring at the newspaper. A second later, she stood up and ran out of the Great Hall. Several of her friends, Lily among them, followed. Remus turned to James, who was reading his copy of the Daily Prophet. Eyes wide, James handed the paper to Remus.
Family Killed By Mysterious Murderer
At approximately 1:07 AM, the ministry received a call from a distressed witch living in Liverpool. She reported a scream from her neighbor's house, and a bright flash of light. Upon arrival, the team of Aurors discovered nothing but the ruins of two houses, the house of the witch that called, and the house from which the scream was heard. Hovering above the house was a strange sight: a huge, green skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth. Six people were found dead in the ashes of the houses: Ashton Anatar, Liza Anatar, Brian Anatar, Suze Anatar, Therese Lange, and John Lange. Therese and John Lange, known for their skill as interpreters in foreign affairs, were not the target in this attack. Though the reason is not known, the murderer was set on killing the Anatar family.
Shocked, Remus lowered the newspaper. Suddenly, everything about this murderer seemed a lot more real to him. Pushing away the food, he began to walk back to Gryffindor. The other three boys followed him, none of them speaking. They were each deep in thought about what had happened.
* * *
"Come on, think of Ashley," Sirius urged. "She needs a little something to help her."
Remus didn't like it, but he knew that Sirius had a point. Ashley needed something to help take her mind off of things for a bit.
"Alright," he said, starting towards the door. "But we need to be careful."
They were planning to sneak out of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade for a little while to get something for Ashley. Besides that, Sirius and James simply wanted to get out of the castle, where everything was so dark and somber. True, it was a dark time, but they felt that they wouldn't be able to bear much more of it.
Under James' Invisibility Cloak, the four boys walked quietly to the statue of the humpbacked witch. "Dissendium!" James whispered, and the statue opened. As they hurried along the tunnel, James and Sirius felt better and better, while Remus felt worse and worse. He was afraid that something awful was going to happen while they were walking around the village.
"Here we are!" Sirius murmured, pushing the trapdoor up. They went up the stairs quickly, and found themselves in the sweet shop. They bought a few things there. The shopkeeper looked at them a little suspiciously, but didn't say anything.
For the next half-hour, they wandered around the village, buying things occasionally from the various shops. Finally, Remus suggested that they return to the castle.
"If we stay much longer, someone's bound to notice that we're missing," he told his friends. James nodded reluctantly.
"Let's just go into one more shop," he said, already turning to go into Zonko's. "There's probably something in here that will make anyone laugh."
When they finally began walking back toward Honeydukes, Remus was feeling more nervous than ever. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he felt like something terrible was going to happen.
"Hold on," James said, stopping and peering into an alleyway. "I thought I saw something."
"What would be back there?" Remus asked, wanting more than ever to just get back to the castle.
"I dunno, I thought a saw a little girl," replied James. He started down the alley, and the others followed. Remus could hear Peter's teeth chattering. After what seemed like forever, but was probably less than a minute, they saw a small girl curled up on the ground, her back against the wall.
"Hey," James said softly, "are you lost?" The girl stared up at him with wide blue eyes. Her black hair was half-covering her face.
"Come on, we can help you." Sirius reached down to pick up the little girl, but she screamed. Sirius paused for a moment, puzzled, and then felt something hard connect with the back of his skull. Remus looked around, and he froze. Five large men surrounded them, and each was pointing a wand at the group of kids. One of them was hooking the club he had used to hit Sirius back on his belt.
"Well, look at this," the man growled menacingly. "A group of midgets out on their own. It's almost dark, you know. Someone's going to get worried about you.
* * *
A/N Cliffhanger! Ok review and tell me if you like it!
TheDudeLordOfFantasy: Glad you like the last chapter! Keep reviewing, and tell me how you like the story!
Jennyangel – Thanks for the review! Hope you like this next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter characters
* * *
"It says here that a werewolf won't attack an animal." Peter looked up at Remus. "Is that right?"
Remus shrugged. "Don't know. I've never been around an animal on full moon."
"Hmm," Sirius said, staring at the book in Peter's hands. "Maybe –"
"Hey! Look at this!" James exclaimed, earning a dirty look from the librarian. Lowering his voice, he continued, holding out the newspaper he was reading. "It seems that there's some mass murderer on the loose. Ten people have been killed in the last month, three of them just last week. What do you think of that?"
Sirius' annoyed look at being interrupted had disappeared, and he eagerly reached out for the newspaper. "'The Ministry is working overtime to find and capture this new threat of the wizarding world,'" he read aloud. "'The murder of a young family of three has made the situation even more alarming. If you have any report of a missing person or a strange death, you are encouraged to inform the Ministry immediately.'"
Peter's face was a pale gray. "Do – do you think they'll catch him?" he asked fearfully.
"Yeah, it's just a matter of time," Remus replied, trying to calm his friend. "Anyway, what were you saying, Sirius?"
"About what?" Sirius asked, still reading the newspaper article.
"Before the newspaper," Remus responded.
"Oh," Sirius said, his eyes still scanning the page. "Hey, it says here that this murderer might have a bunch of accomplices. Like a huge gang or something."
"Sirius!" James took the newspaper and folded it up. "It's not that interesting. What were you going to say?"
"Oh yeah!" Sirius sat up in his chair. "What if we became Animagi?"
Remus stared at him. Was he serious? A few eleven-year-olds become Anamagi? But James was grinning, a spark of adventure in his eye. "That's a great idea!"
"But aren't you supposed to be watched by the Ministry while you're learning?" Peter asked with wide eyes. Sirius waved that aside.
"We can figure it out! And the Ministry is so busy with that murderer, that they won't ever even think about looking for a few unregistered Anamagi!" he whispered, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that no one was listening. Remus started to get a little scared. It was one thing to break a few school rules, but this was a law!
But look at all they're doing for you, one part of his mind argued. Are you going to tell them what to do when they're trying to help you? No, he decided, he would let them do it. After all, it was their choice.
* * *
That night, as the four boys sat down for dinner, Professor Dumbledore stood. James looked longingly at the empty plates, but he knew that Dumbledore had something important to say.
"I have noticed," Dumbledore began, "that several of you have seen the article in the Daily Prophet."
It would be hard not to notice, Remus thought. The halls had been buzzing all day about the murders.
"I wish I could say that it was nothing," Dumbledore continued, "but I'm afraid that this is a very real threat indeed. I can promise you, however, that you will not be harmed here in Hogwarts. Also, the Minister wishes to assure you that they are doing all that they can to track down the killer and punish him. Until he is caught, we ask that those attending any activities outside of the school grounds, such as Hogsmeade, stay in groups until later notice." He sat down, and food appeared on the plates. Now, everyone in the Great Hall, including the staff, was whispering about Dumbledore's short speech.
"So what do you think will happen?" Peter wondered, trembling.
"Nothing," Sirius replied confidently through a mouthful of chicken. "They'll catch him before long."
Remus hoped that his friend was right. The thought of a murderer on the loose made him nervous, though he was careful not to show it. He didn't want anyone to think that he was a coward. Still, the food tasted like sawdust in his dry mouth.
* * *
At breakfast a few days later, Remus heard a shriek come from Ashley Anatar, a third-year Gryffindor. She was staring at the newspaper. A second later, she stood up and ran out of the Great Hall. Several of her friends, Lily among them, followed. Remus turned to James, who was reading his copy of the Daily Prophet. Eyes wide, James handed the paper to Remus.
Family Killed By Mysterious Murderer
At approximately 1:07 AM, the ministry received a call from a distressed witch living in Liverpool. She reported a scream from her neighbor's house, and a bright flash of light. Upon arrival, the team of Aurors discovered nothing but the ruins of two houses, the house of the witch that called, and the house from which the scream was heard. Hovering above the house was a strange sight: a huge, green skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth. Six people were found dead in the ashes of the houses: Ashton Anatar, Liza Anatar, Brian Anatar, Suze Anatar, Therese Lange, and John Lange. Therese and John Lange, known for their skill as interpreters in foreign affairs, were not the target in this attack. Though the reason is not known, the murderer was set on killing the Anatar family.
Shocked, Remus lowered the newspaper. Suddenly, everything about this murderer seemed a lot more real to him. Pushing away the food, he began to walk back to Gryffindor. The other three boys followed him, none of them speaking. They were each deep in thought about what had happened.
* * *
"Come on, think of Ashley," Sirius urged. "She needs a little something to help her."
Remus didn't like it, but he knew that Sirius had a point. Ashley needed something to help take her mind off of things for a bit.
"Alright," he said, starting towards the door. "But we need to be careful."
They were planning to sneak out of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade for a little while to get something for Ashley. Besides that, Sirius and James simply wanted to get out of the castle, where everything was so dark and somber. True, it was a dark time, but they felt that they wouldn't be able to bear much more of it.
Under James' Invisibility Cloak, the four boys walked quietly to the statue of the humpbacked witch. "Dissendium!" James whispered, and the statue opened. As they hurried along the tunnel, James and Sirius felt better and better, while Remus felt worse and worse. He was afraid that something awful was going to happen while they were walking around the village.
"Here we are!" Sirius murmured, pushing the trapdoor up. They went up the stairs quickly, and found themselves in the sweet shop. They bought a few things there. The shopkeeper looked at them a little suspiciously, but didn't say anything.
For the next half-hour, they wandered around the village, buying things occasionally from the various shops. Finally, Remus suggested that they return to the castle.
"If we stay much longer, someone's bound to notice that we're missing," he told his friends. James nodded reluctantly.
"Let's just go into one more shop," he said, already turning to go into Zonko's. "There's probably something in here that will make anyone laugh."
When they finally began walking back toward Honeydukes, Remus was feeling more nervous than ever. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he felt like something terrible was going to happen.
"Hold on," James said, stopping and peering into an alleyway. "I thought I saw something."
"What would be back there?" Remus asked, wanting more than ever to just get back to the castle.
"I dunno, I thought a saw a little girl," replied James. He started down the alley, and the others followed. Remus could hear Peter's teeth chattering. After what seemed like forever, but was probably less than a minute, they saw a small girl curled up on the ground, her back against the wall.
"Hey," James said softly, "are you lost?" The girl stared up at him with wide blue eyes. Her black hair was half-covering her face.
"Come on, we can help you." Sirius reached down to pick up the little girl, but she screamed. Sirius paused for a moment, puzzled, and then felt something hard connect with the back of his skull. Remus looked around, and he froze. Five large men surrounded them, and each was pointing a wand at the group of kids. One of them was hooking the club he had used to hit Sirius back on his belt.
"Well, look at this," the man growled menacingly. "A group of midgets out on their own. It's almost dark, you know. Someone's going to get worried about you.
* * *
A/N Cliffhanger! Ok review and tell me if you like it!
TheDudeLordOfFantasy: Glad you like the last chapter! Keep reviewing, and tell me how you like the story!
Jennyangel – Thanks for the review! Hope you like this next chapter!